This year is our first Fourth of July living in England, so my first non-Fourth of July ever. No fireworks, no BBQ, just work and school for us. The 4th has always a hallmark of summer for me, so this year we will be searching for that summer hallmark – schools in the UK get out July 22nd and return in early September so the break is limited. It is also quite interesting to now live in the land from whom we Americans declared Independence so many years ago. This is probably the only US holiday that I have really missed. Well, Happy Fourth to those who get to celebrate it – enjoy!

You could do a BBQ, if not fireworks. What’s stopping you? Celebrate the fourth and show those brits how we do it! Invite them over for an “Independence From You BBQ.” Come on man, you owe it to your nation!

Devyn – You have rain! That is so much better than fireworks. Is this the first time you have worked outside of the US? I have always wanted to to do that, but life prevented us being that kind of adventurous family. Now I am just too plain tired and don’t care. Driving in my car farther than across town seems like too much trouble.
I admire your spunk and want to see pictures. Do you have a family blog I can stalk?

LIZ – Rain? June was the rainiest on record in the UK. We have had 3-4 sunny days in the last two months and only two days where it was over 75 degrees. While the weather sucks, there is so much to see and do on weekends here.

Devyn S. – Sounds perfect to me. I love gloomy, rainy days. That is when I feel best. I get all energized and want to clean closets. I am obviously part duck.
Seriously – do you have a family blog? I really, really would love to see pics and read about your life across the pond.

I get bored by those kinds of testimonies. When I was a kid I was taught in Sunday School that the Book of Mormon proves that Heavenly Father loves America the best. (Chosen Land, etc.) Even then it didn’t seem fair to the rest of the world. My sense of fair play is finely tuned and I admit I am hyper-sensitive to patriotic stuff at church. Church should be the one place it doesn’t matter where I live or where I was born. I don’t even care for American Patriotic songs in the hymn book. Last Sunday we sang all the America songs in sacrament mtg. in preparation for the 4th. The songs are fine. They just have nothing to do with church.

13. LIZ – I agree with you. Given the international aims of the Church, I find it funny that only US patriotic songs and “God save the queen” are the only patriotic songs in there. I should note that I have not heard the US patriotic songs sung in sacrament meeting in the UK…

Devyn, I wouldn’t expect the UK saints to sing American songs and vice versa. I know they (the UK Saints) don’t celebrate 4th July like the rest of the nation. Goodness me if they celebrated every nations independance from them it would be two for every day of the year or something! I just really dislike the testimony meetings about how great America is. There is lots of great nations who have democracy and the freedom that some Americans think they have exclusivity over!

There are a lot of things said in testimony meetings that have nothing to do with church. There are a lot of things said in Relief Society and Sunday School and blogs that have nothing to do with church.

Jed, you’re forgetting that people aren’t assigned topics at testimony meetings. We had a few say they were glad to be Americans, but then you get the kids and you get the sobbers and you get the shout hallelujahs. Something for everybody. If everybody all bore their “testimony” that America is a great country, that would be boring. They didn’t.

And still, America is a great country and I don’t think we have any exclusivity, I know other people love their countries. Good on them. I love mine. In all its crazy dysfunctional glory.

I don’t think Devyn expected England to celebrate our Independence Day, but they have their celebrations and national pride. As do any country. Does. :) Would you deny us that?

Absolutely not! I am merely stating that testimony meetings are not to be focused on countries but on Christ. When it comes to July 4th all I ever hear is how wonderful the USA is, which is fine – but save it for another time! Loads of countries have there pride, freedom and democracy but in all my travels I have only ever seen the over exuberance in testimony meetings in the USA on the 4th July.

This land and country was _given_ to us (and previously given to the Nephites/Lamanites, and before them, to the Jaredites) by the Lord.

The country of the United States, and the land upon which it sits, is a temporal gift from the Lord, and one that made possible a multitude of spiritual gifts too, as the land and country have been an incubator for the restoration of the gospel.

It is NOT improper for citizens of this country to be publicly thankful for the Lord’s gifts, even temporal ones, even in church.

Then United States is essentially a gentile nation, and even most members of the modern church are gentiles (who have been _adopted_ into the House of Israel.)

This country of the United States has played, and is yet to play, a significant role in the salvation of the remnant of the seed of Joseph and of the entire House of Israel. This gentile nation is to be nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the house of Israel.

We ought to be very thankful for that role, as a country, and as a people. And we ought to be thankful that this country is a rich and powerful country with the means to accomplish that task, and not be ashamed in any way.

Yes, God the Father, Christ, the gospel, and the restoration of the gospel should be the primary focus of sacrament meetings. But mentioning the country and people of the USA are not out of bounds, if kept in perspective to the primary things, and as long as the source the blessings is acknowledged.

If this country, as a whole, turns from God (and we are on that road), then Jeremiah Wright will be correct, and God will damn this country, just as it is promised in the Book of Mormon. If the people of the land serve God, the land will be blessed, and if the people, as a whole, do not serve God on this land, the land will be cursed. That promise is repeated multiple times in the Book of Mormon.

Today the counselor or councilor in the bishopric announced that the assigned speakers had a family emergency and he’d asked a sister who had mentioned she could put a talk together quickly to speak to us. To quote Julie Roberts in “Pretty Woman” : Big mistake. Big.

She is a follower of Ezra Taft Benson’s pre-prophet focus on the evils of socialism. I’d say she was a John Bircher, but I don’t know that. Sure sounded like it.

She began by talking about how she loves our country and her evolution into a patriot. Then she started quoting President Benson and talking about socialism. I forgot and I also stopped listening. I thought of the two Democrats in our ward—women—whose feelings get stepped on every once in awhile.

I finally left. Later, I told those women I thought the talk was inappropriate (well, I said “utter bullshit”).

And that’s my 4th of July Sacrament meeting experience. My ward is so whacked.